


Pep Talk Confessional

by dinkitandrhinkit



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, They are both 15 in this story, so underage, teen rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 16:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14477079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinkitandrhinkit/pseuds/dinkitandrhinkit
Summary: Link has been having the week from hell. Luckily Rhett is there to boost his self esteem.





	Pep Talk Confessional

**Author's Note:**

> The boys are both 15, but nothing too inappropriate happens.

Link had been having a bad week. First he'd done worse on a math test than he'd expected. Then he'd fallen over and torn a hole in his best jeans, while also skinning his left knee. He'd lost his soccer match and his favorite shirt. It just went on and on and on.  
  
When his girlfriend, Amanda Hart, had decided to dump him for the stupid jerk Tim Dawson, it was adding insult to injury.  
  
Luckily, Rhett's parents had allowed Link to stay the night. Since it was a Friday and they had no where to be the next morning, they were going to see how long they could stay up. Their record had been set a year ago, when at the ripe old age of 14, they'd stayed awake until 3:30 am without being caught. It'd been a thrill and so worth being utterly exhausted the next day.  
  
Maybe they were getting too old for sleep overs - maybe they had 5 years ago - but their parents knew better than to try to separate them or talk them out of anything. It never ended well for anyone. 

The boys were inseparable and everyone had long ago accepted that. 

"I just don't get what she sees in him." Link was twisting the duvet cover in his hands and whispering from his makeshift bed on the floor, desperately trying not to wake Rhett's parents, whose room was just a few feet down the hall. Even with both doors closed and the lights off, Rhett's parents had a sensitive ear for shenanigans. It came with the territory of having two teenage sons. And no one wanted to piss off mama Di. The anger was one thing, but the disappointment was another. They were fairly certain the guilt was lethal.  
  
"I mean, he might be some tough quarterback, but he's an idiot. What do you think she sees in him?" Link looked up at Rhett for guidance with his wide blue eyes, visable even in the near pitch blackness, and Rhett shook his head sadly. Link and Amanda had only been going together for a few weeks, but Link had really seemed to like her, so Rhett understood his friend's dejection and frustration.  
  
As an only child with divorced parents vying to be his favorite, Link wasn't used to disappointment.  
  
"I don't know," Rhett shrugged.  
  
"I did everything I was s'pposed to. I gave her that toy I won at the arcade. I told her she was pretty. I did all the stuff. Maybe I should've kissed her?" Link asked earnestly.  
  
Rhett couldn't help but wonder at Link coming to him for advice. Rhett might be older, but in a lot of ways, he seemed so far behind. Rhett was no where near even thinking about kissing a girl. Not for lack of interest on his part. He was just far too shy and no girls seemed to be interested. For a few years now, Link had become the centre of girls attention and Rhett could do nothing but watch and drown in his own jealousy.  
  
"I don't know, Link. If she thinks that moron is better than you, then she's just as dumb as he is."  
  
"You think so?" Link's voice had gotten softer as Rhett's had gotten firmer. Link looked up at him with such trust, and while Rhett could tell he wasn't crying, he looked especially young and vulnerable. Sometimes those months made all the difference.  
  
"Come up here, man," Rhett pat the left side of his massive new double bed he'd been bought to accommodate his ever increasing stature. They hadn't shared a bed in years, but Link clearly needed the comfort. Link didn't hesitate as he scrambled up, abandoning his pillow and blanket on the floor in favor of joining Rhett.  
  
They lay in the dark, both on top of the covers. It was too hot to get under just yet, the summer still clinging on, making the tiny bedroom humid and sticky.  
  
Rhett flipped onto his side, facing his friend so he could watch Link as he stared at the ceiling.  
  
"I just want someone to like me for me, you know? Someone who doesn't care I'm not some football star or rich idiot. Someone I can hang out with, without having to worry if I'm doing everything right." Link twisted his head to glance at Rhett, but looked away just as quickly when he saw he was being watched.  
  
"If she doesn't appreciate you, she doesn't deserve you. You deserve so much more than that. You deserve the best."  
  
Rhett didn't turn away. He was emboldened by the almost perfect darkness and stillness of the night to observe Link. He'd grown up a lot in the past two years. He'd lost his baby fat and shot up. He wasn't as tall as Rhett, and Rhett doubted he ever would be, but he was now a respectable 5 foot 6. No wonder the girls had started to take notice.  
  
But Rhett had taken notice years ago. Truth be told, he'd always noticed something special about Link. Maybe it was his cheeky smile, his recklessness, his outgoing personality or his charisma. There was something that made Rhett stick around all those years ago and call this goofy boy his best friend.  
  
"You'll find someone, don't worry. There's a million girls out there who'd kill to date you. They're practically lining up, man." He whacked Link's arm with the back of his hand and let the hand flop down on the bed between them. Link gave him a lopsided grin in return.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course. You're the cutest guy in our grade. Heck, you're the cutest guy in our whole school." Especially laid out on Rhett's bed in some old pyjamas that were threadbare and Rhett was willing to bet soft as a cloud. Not that he'd noticed or anything.  
  
"No, I'm not." Rhett couldn't see the blush, but he knew it was there.  
  
"Yeah, you are. Tim has the jock thing. And sure, Johnny has the blond hair. Peter has those brown eyes the girls like, but it's got nothing on your blue..."  
  
"Stop, Rhett," Link giggled as he interrupted, "I'm not the cutest."  
  
"Yes, you are. Stop putting yourself down."  
  
"I'm not," Link had turned to face him and held a hand up to stall the protest he knew was coming, "I'm not the cutest. 'Cause you are."  
  
A second after he said it, he was busy looking anywhere but at his best friend. Rhett couldn't speak for a second as he tried to calm his racing heart. It was normal for a guy to compliment his best friend. Rhett had just spent several minutes doing just that. It was a perfectly ordinary thing for two totally manly friends to do.  
  
"Thanks Link, but no one else seems to agree." He gave a self deprecating smile and possibly the worst facsimile of a laugh ever. If Link noticed, he didn't comment.  
  
"Then they're just as stupid as Tim. You're the best guy in the world and anyone would love to have you."  
  
Rhett wanted to laugh off the sincerity and restore the normalcy to their relationship. They'd been best friends for the vast majority of their lives, but they existed on jokes, not seriousness. Not that they didn't sometimes get serious, especially about their future plans, but this was a new type of frankness that Rhett frankly wasn't comfortable with.  
  
But he also couldn't laugh in Link's face. Rhett could see that Link wasn't kidding and so Rhett had to reply in kind. Even though he had started the whole thing and really it was Link who was responding in kind.  
  
"I don't know. I feel like no one chooses me. I kinda just go with the friend of whoever you're going with." It was true. He always felt like he got Link's exes or the best friend of whichever girl Link had his eye on this month. That was ok though, because it meant he got to hang around Link, even when he was hanging out with his girl. Maybe it hurt, sure, but being around Link wasn't a pleasure Rhett would give up, no matter the pain.  
  
So he lived with it.  
  
"Rhett, you're too shy. You've always got your eye on someone, but you never approach them. You just need to go for it." Rhett was warmed by the fact that Link believed in him.  
  
"I don't think I can. I don't think they feel the same."  
  
"How do you know if you don't try?" Link was frowning at him now, propped up on an elbow and looming above him. Link wasn't serious often, but when he was, Rhett was fairly certain he had the power to move mountains through his sheer stubbornness.  
  
"I just know." He turned away.   
  
"You can't give up." Rhett was suddenly aware that what had started out as a pep talk for a heartbroken Link had rapidly become a lot more about himself. He didn't particularly love it.  
  
"I can." He closed his eyes and sighed. This wasn't an argument he could win.

"Rhett, look at me." Link shoved Rhett's shoulder when he didn't immediately comply.  
  
"Hey!" He whisper yelled, still conscious of the absolute silence throughout the rest of the house.  
  
"Rhett, you're the best. You're a real catch and anyone would be lucky to have you." His voice had softened and Rhett felt a little pitied. But it also made him want to prove Link wrong.  
  
"Anyone?" He gazed up into the blue eyes that were watching him closely.  
  
"Anyone. Just do it," he whispered, voice barely travelling the scant inches between them. When they'd gotten so close, Rhett wasn't sure, but he didn't care as he finished closing the gap and pressed his lips to Link's.  
  
As a first kiss, and with only one participant aware it was coming, it was dry, unmoving meeting of lips. But Rhett didn't care. It still felt like someone had poured soft drink into his chest, the carbonation fizzing in his ribs, stealing his breath away.  
  
He didn't stay there for long though, pulling away from Link and watching him for a reaction. Link sat up, legs bent in front of him, resting his crossed arms on top.  
  
Rhett sat up too, ready to run if he needed to, but not entirely sure where he'd run to, since they were in his house, in his bedroom and he was currently only in his pyjama pants.  
  
"Oh. Wow. Oh. Ok. Wow," Link said. He was staring at him and blinking rapidly.  
  
Rhett didn't reply, not quite sure if the reaction was a good one or if Link was just too shocked to hit him.  
  
"Wow, Rhett. Why?" He asked, once he'd mostly regained the power of speech.  
  
"You told me to."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"You did. You told me if there was someone I had my eye on, I should just go for it." He shrugged.  
  
"Me?" Link was one of the most confident guys that Rhett knew. But the way he looked right now, hunched over, arms wrapped around his knees, he looked so small and unsure.  
  
"Weren't you listening?" Rhett let out a barked laugh.  
  
"I thought you were just being a good friend." Link smiled at him. It was small, barely noticeable, but Rhett saw it.  
  
"I was. It doesn't mean that I didn't mean it." The silence stretched on and Link hadn't stopped looking a little dazed. Rhett didn't imagine he'd get punched at this point, and Link hadn't run away screaming, so he was hopeful they could get past this, one way or another.  
  
"I didn't know." Link eventually broke the silence.  
  
"It's ok. I'm sorry I," he hesitated trying to find the right words, "did that." He couldn't say 'kissed you'. For some reason it seemed like saying it might ruin everything, might make it real.  
  
"It's ok. I'm sorry I freaked out."  
  
"You don't need to make excuses, man. It's fine." It wasn't, but he would cope somehow.  
  
"I'm not making excuses. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. You always talk about all the hot girls and I didn't realise..." He flapped his hand around in a way Rhett took to mean 'you're gay for me'.  
  
"I am interested in girls, I guess I just played it up so no one would know."  
  
"How did I not know?" He seemed to be genuinely asking aloud. They were pretty good at reading each other, enough that people had commented on it over the years. He was surprised that Link had never so much as suspected anything out of the ordinary. But maybe he only saw what he wanted to see.  
  
"I guess I'm that good an actor," he smirked. Link giggled and slapped his arm. They lapsed back into silence, but it was infinitely more comfortable than the last.  
  
"I stand by what I said." Link broke the silence yet again, voice lower than before.  
  
"Which bit? The bit where you said I was awesome and the best person ever?"  
  
"Do you ever stop being obnoxious?" Link had unhunched himself and was now turned towards Rhett again with a wide smile.  
  
"No. Do you ever stop being cute?" Link's face fell ever so slightly and as soon as he'd said it, he knew it was too much. He shouldn't have even let himself think it. Apparently he was set on ruining this. The floodgates had opened and he was letting it all out.  
  
Before he could backtrack or apologise, Link interrupted.

"I stand by the fact that you're the best and that if you like someone you should just go for it."  
  
"But..." Rhett frowned, confused.  
  
"But I think you should let a person know before you're gonna go kissing them. It seems only polite," Link chastised him.  
  
"What?" Rhett wanted to believe that this was going were he desperately hoped it was, but he couldn't get his hopes up too high.  
  
"For example, I could say: hey, Rhett. I really like you and I think we should totally make out." Link's face was giving nothing away, so Rhett played it cool.  
  
At least, he tried.  
  
But he was grinning and blushing, finally hearing that maybe Link wanted this too.  
  
"Oh?" His voice cracked more in that one syllable than it had ever before.  
  
"Yeah. Then you'd say: of course, Link. That sounds like a great idea," he waited and when Rhett was too tongue tied to reply, said, "Say it."  
  
Rhett couldn't even breathe.  
  
"Come on, Rhett," Link teased.  
  
"Link, please," was all he could manage. Luckily Link took pity on him and leaned in.  
  
This kiss was so much better. Rhett was a little desperate, pushing too hard and his tongue came into play too early, but Link let him, always following Rhett's endless flights of fancy effortlessly.  
  
They parted and Rhett gasped in air like he'd been drowning.  
  
"Wow, Link," he stuttered out. Link giggled, but his eyes were soft, letting Rhett know he wasn't laughing at him, just laughing at the strange situation they'd gotten themselves into.  
  
"You ok?" Link asked, grabbing Rhett's hand without a thought.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think you felt the same."  
  
"You took me by surprise, is all. It's not that I didn't want to kiss you. I did. I really, really did. I was just a little confused."  
  
"Confused?"  
  
"I thought you were the ladies man, always going on about Becky or Hope or Tiffany." It was true that Rhett thought about girls a lot. Every second week his interest would wander from one girl to the next. But throughout it all, his eyes lingered on Link, never wavering. And that's what has scared him the most.  
  
"I didn't want you to know. I thought you'd hate me if you knew. If anyone knew..." They both knew how much the mere rumor of being gay was enough to ostracize a person.  
  
They'd been lucky to avoid it more than they could have, considering their unusual closeness. Because they'd been friends since anyone their age could remember, they were treated exactly as the twin brothers in their grade were. It was taken for granted that Rhett and Link were always together, always joined at the hip. No one even really thought to question it.  
  
How anyone would react if they were to be honest about how close they were in this moment, Rhett didn't want to think about it.  
  
Link sensed the dark turn both their thoughts had taken, so took it upon himself to try to lighten the moment.  
  
"But you had your eye on me?" Link was wearing his cocky smirk, so Rhett smacked his arm again.  
  
"Link, stop fishing for compliments, you narcissist. I just spent an hour complimenting you and I'm sick of it. You know I love you." They'd said it before. They were best friends, of course they'd said it. It should have felt like a big deal, saying it now, after the confessions they'd just shared. But it didn't. It had been true before and it was still true now. It didn't change anything.  
  
It did make Link lean over and kiss him though, which Rhett thought was perhaps the best thing ever.  
  
"I love you too," Link replied, pulling away from the kiss, but staying pressed into Rhett's side.  
  
They curled up together, and drifted off to sleep. They hadn't noticed the time had passed 4 am when they finally nodded off. They woke up exhausted the next morning, but they both agreed it was 100% worth it.


End file.
